How do I create a "spike" through my extracurriculars?Answered
Hello! I am currently a high school senior dual enrolled in community college, and I'm trying to build a "spike" through my extracurricular activities. Right now, it seems as if I'm involved in a lot of activities but it doesn’t represent my STEM interests as much. In the future, I want to work at NASA as an aerospace engineer. I'm hoping to major in aerospace engineering and either minor or receive certifications in astrophysics. I also aspire to become an astronaut in the future. The only thing is that I feel that my extracurriculars alone don't properly convey my interest in STEM, so I'm not sure how I can further the quality and quantity of experiences I have in my respective field.
Here are my current extracurricular activities:
ORGANIZATIONS
• NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars (Scholar)
• STEM Club (Member)
• Robotics Club (Member)
• Computer Technology Club (Member)
• TRiO Student Support Services STEM Program (Member)
• Alliance of Educational Opportunity Fund Students of New Jersey (Mentor)
• Student Government Association (Speaker)
• Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society (Member)
• College-Coaching Program (Member)
• Anime Club (Vice President)
EXPERIENCE
• Peer Mentor 2023
• Retail Cashier 2021-2022
VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE
• PCCC Lions (Volunteer)
• OASIS Food Distribution Program (Volunteer)
• New Jersey Community Development Corporation (Speaker)
• St. Therese Roman Catholic Church (Reader)
PROJECTS
• HackPrinceton Fall 2022 Project (Competed in a Hackathon at Princeton University)
• Engineering Physics Project — Rube Goldberg Machine (Created a Rube Goldberg Machine with other people as a team)
AP Classes
• AP Physics
• AP Computer Science
GPA: 4.0 (Unweighted)
The things I've been thinking of doing is:
• Participating in more STEM-related competitions
• Getting a STEM-related (preferably NASA) internship
• Founding and becoming president of a STEM-related Club
• Receiving certifications/credentials that will be helpful as an engineer
How can I build a "spike" that would better represent my interests and goals?
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2 answers
I would do the following:
TAKE SOME COLLEGE CLASSES WHICH SHOWS INTELLECTUAL VITALITY
-Take a college course in Astronomy such as this, https://www.outlier.org/products/intro-to-astronomy If you pass, you'll get 3 college credits and that looks good on your application. Plus you may be able to transfer the credits to your undergraduate college if you get an A in the course.
-Alternatively, look into taking a college course in astronomy, planetary science, space policy, and space flight from a school like this. They may allow you take 1 or 2 paid courses without officially enrolling in the school. https://start.amu.apus.edu/space-studies/associate-of-science
-Alternatively, take EDX classes like these: https://www.edx.org/course/introduction-to-astrophysics?index=product&queryID=56df361add02ba25d3100462af5fd4a0&position=1, https://www.edx.org/course/astrophysics-cosmology?index=product&queryID=26dbbbc79d02b00c9ef4e184697b29f8&position=2, https://www.edx.org/course/astrophysics-the-violent-universe?index=product&queryID=80143757e0bfe275a3273cc8b9af1230&position=3
TRY TO ENROLL IN A NASA STUDENT PROGRAM
-https://www.nasa.gov/langley/education/students
START A YOUTUBE or TIKTOK CHANNEL ABOUT SPACE/ASTROPHYSICS ETC
LAST get in touch with this guy in New Jersey and ask him what he recommends you do.
New Jersey Space Grant Consortium
Rutgers University
Haim Baruh, Ph.D
Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Director, New Jersey Space Grant Consortium
98 Brett Road, Piscataway, N.J. 08854, U.S.A.
Office: B-242 Engineering Building, Busch Campus
Phone: 848-445-3680
E-mail: baruh@soe.rutgers.edu
Website: http://njsgc.rutgers.edu
GOOD LUCK
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